Our New Store at Albany. We took over in March 2009 and after heaps of hard work and long hours it's looookin good..........
Howard's Storage World Westfield Albany
May 30, 2009
Feb 7, 2009
Jan 24, 2009
Kumeu 09
Nope the Honda did not drive up the Mini's bum somebody stuck it there. The Certification guys must have had a nightmare!!
I am not sure if I can really get into the whole Rat Rod thing??
Sooo ugly but sooo grouse...
MMMMmmmmm??????
Cute BUT $55,000???
Coool old School.............
All week the soothsayers who study bumps on heads to predict the upcoming weather were saying showers on Saturday.... surely not after all God must be a petrolhead. I started my pilgrimage to Mecca.. sorry meant Kumeu very early to avoid the queues ( everybody knows how I love looong sloooow moving lines) looking towards the West the sky looked very very dark and I thought "Oh no... God does not exist!!"
Even at that hour of the morning the queue to get into the front exhibitors gates was stretched from Kumeu township to the Riverhead turnoff but the back entrance was a breeze. 15 bucks to get in has got to be a cheap day out?? I was blown away by the number of people there at 8 in the morning.. twice as many as last year.
The trade/swap meet was twice the size of last year and the show has certainly grown huge in recent years... will it out grow Kumeu is the big question... I hope not. Over the years the variety of cars,trucks, bikes etc has changed, once it was purley rods but now virtually anything goes. As usual the people at the show are just as interesting as the cars... Westies yep you have to love them!!
Thankfully the sun was covered most of the day by clouds because it would have been unbearable hot other wise.
I stood behind a young couple in one of the few covered display areas, as they oogled the 60s and 70s cars he said " Man cars were so much more classier in those days" She replied " F##K YEAH" I chuckled to myself think "Yep the women were a bit classier as well"
Kumeu we just have to love it......
Dec 23, 2008
2008
Yep I know there are still 7 days to go but if anything dramatic happens I will update it then. 2008 began pretty much in the same manner that 2007 finished!! January was fairly ordinary, a few days off over the new year period, a couple of race meeting then back into it. Feb was really the star of the downturn.
My selfish daughter with total disregard for her family and friends left NZ for her big OE but with modern communication and her travel blog on yahoo we all kept up todate... heaps of pix etc but I will have to wait til late in 2009 for a cuddle.
The day Kelly left we discovered an employee Levi Moa had been systematically ripping us of at the Warkworth store... that is LEVI MOA of OMAHA... the extent of his thieving was a bit frightening and the business is still recovering. The whole legal process was an eye opener, slow ineffective and a total sham... no wonder these arseholes do this cos they know nothing will happen. There have been a few offers "to sort" Mr Moa out..........
The nightmare at Lynnmall continued on with the Master Franchisor going broke half way thru the year. Inspite of our confidence, total commitment and heaps of bloody hard work the struggle continues along with the nightmare. Just when you think you have dodged one bullet another heads your way... 6 days before Christmas an electicial fire at Lynnmall closed the store for 2 days, YEAH just what you need 2 days lost trading at the busiest time of the year.
Ava Isabel Bree arrives into our lives on 24th April 2008, Ava is developing into a real character and the interaction between her and her brother Zach is heart warming to watch. Zach never ceases to amaze me and I have to often remind myself the little man is not 3 yet... I'm convinced the kid has been here before......
October.... 2 men + all their gear rammed into a little car racing around NZ for 10 days = bloody good fun!! The Lotus Club tour of NZ as outline earlier in my blog was one of those life experiences that you just have to do at some stage especially if cars are your passion. I finally got go see the southern end of my beloved country ...get out there Kiwis and have a look.
BIG thanx to Lindz.
WELL what will 2009 bring?? Who really knows, it was obvious the so called credit crunch had to happen one day but hey I would have preferred an "ajustment" a bit further down the track.
The bloody media really help the situation... get doom and bloody gloom rammed down your throat every day and you are going to believe it eventually!! We will give it our best shot. Watch this space.
Big thanx to Trish for her continuing support, Stace for all his hard work and putting up with the old man, Lindz for another year of kicking my bum when it needed it, Ken for your friendship, Zach and Ava for keeping Poppa sane.......................
My selfish daughter with total disregard for her family and friends left NZ for her big OE but with modern communication and her travel blog on yahoo we all kept up todate... heaps of pix etc but I will have to wait til late in 2009 for a cuddle.
The day Kelly left we discovered an employee Levi Moa had been systematically ripping us of at the Warkworth store... that is LEVI MOA of OMAHA... the extent of his thieving was a bit frightening and the business is still recovering. The whole legal process was an eye opener, slow ineffective and a total sham... no wonder these arseholes do this cos they know nothing will happen. There have been a few offers "to sort" Mr Moa out..........
The nightmare at Lynnmall continued on with the Master Franchisor going broke half way thru the year. Inspite of our confidence, total commitment and heaps of bloody hard work the struggle continues along with the nightmare. Just when you think you have dodged one bullet another heads your way... 6 days before Christmas an electicial fire at Lynnmall closed the store for 2 days, YEAH just what you need 2 days lost trading at the busiest time of the year.
Ava Isabel Bree arrives into our lives on 24th April 2008, Ava is developing into a real character and the interaction between her and her brother Zach is heart warming to watch. Zach never ceases to amaze me and I have to often remind myself the little man is not 3 yet... I'm convinced the kid has been here before......
October.... 2 men + all their gear rammed into a little car racing around NZ for 10 days = bloody good fun!! The Lotus Club tour of NZ as outline earlier in my blog was one of those life experiences that you just have to do at some stage especially if cars are your passion. I finally got go see the southern end of my beloved country ...get out there Kiwis and have a look.
BIG thanx to Lindz.
WELL what will 2009 bring?? Who really knows, it was obvious the so called credit crunch had to happen one day but hey I would have preferred an "ajustment" a bit further down the track.
The bloody media really help the situation... get doom and bloody gloom rammed down your throat every day and you are going to believe it eventually!! We will give it our best shot. Watch this space.
Big thanx to Trish for her continuing support, Stace for all his hard work and putting up with the old man, Lindz for another year of kicking my bum when it needed it, Ken for your friendship, Zach and Ava for keeping Poppa sane.......................
Nov 14, 2008
Cricket....
After a hard days cricket.
Come here!!
Maybe a bigger bat??
Baseball?? Yeah play for the Yankees.....
Trish and I got to spend Friday night doing something we love, babysitting the kids. Ava was asleep but Zach was his usual self... full of beans. " Come on Poppa lets play cricket." Well after a few attempts to hit the ball I started to think this boy is from a long line of uncoordinated Bree males( Poppa was a useful fast bowler in his day)but then again he is not 3 until Feb.
It is hard to imagine a future scoreboard at Eden Park reading NZ v Australia Z.F.BREE 150 no but we live in hope.........
The back yard was littered with riverstones from the garden when I asked Zach how the stones got there his answer was " I throwed them, Poppa" MMMmmm maybe the boy will be a fast bowler??
Oct 26, 2008
Oct 25, 2008
The Chequered Flag
This adventure was one of those pencil it in I AM GOING things, I WILL make the time and it WILL happen and I am so glad we did it. Ten days was ample , the whole tour was 18 days and the bit we missed would have been thru the most scenic part of the South Island but it will still be there, I relish the idea of doing that trip with Trish. Yep I have been to London, Paris, the States and many other parts of the World but it took 55 years to do the South Island, I guess I am not the only Kiwi that had not seen the South Island.... Get down there Kiwis it is Paradise.
This trip has got me thinking/dreaming of doing the same thing again and in other countries. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We met so many fantastic peoples from all walks of life brought together by that wonderful machine... the Automobile. The little Opel started so many conversations with complete strangers and the kids just loved it. It is so cool to share this passion with others.
Once the World gets back on track and business improves I will buy a Lotus Elise so if anybody is interested in doing the tour in the future there maybe a spare seat. I am looking forward to trying to catch the Black Opel..........
There are so many people to thank.
Roger Phillips for organising the Tour
Tony and the Lotus Club.
The numerous people thoughout NZ who helped us
Jez the Mad Pom for the hot laps at Manfield, I still have the pressure bruises on my arms from bracing against the seat.
The flag marshall's who gave up their day so we could use their track..they share the passion.
My dear Trish for encouraging me to do this and letting me indulge in my passion.
The biggest thanks of all goes to Lindz. Mate Thank you for sharing the car with me, your guided tour of the South Island made the whole journey more enjoyable for me. I am in awe of your organising skills something I have tried but failed to master for years. .. too bloody casual I guess?? I hope we can do more of this type of thing in the future... may the common passion we share continue for years.
Kezz
This trip has got me thinking/dreaming of doing the same thing again and in other countries. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We met so many fantastic peoples from all walks of life brought together by that wonderful machine... the Automobile. The little Opel started so many conversations with complete strangers and the kids just loved it. It is so cool to share this passion with others.
Once the World gets back on track and business improves I will buy a Lotus Elise so if anybody is interested in doing the tour in the future there maybe a spare seat. I am looking forward to trying to catch the Black Opel..........
There are so many people to thank.
Roger Phillips for organising the Tour
Tony and the Lotus Club.
The numerous people thoughout NZ who helped us
Jez the Mad Pom for the hot laps at Manfield, I still have the pressure bruises on my arms from bracing against the seat.
The flag marshall's who gave up their day so we could use their track..they share the passion.
My dear Trish for encouraging me to do this and letting me indulge in my passion.
The biggest thanks of all goes to Lindz. Mate Thank you for sharing the car with me, your guided tour of the South Island made the whole journey more enjoyable for me. I am in awe of your organising skills something I have tried but failed to master for years. .. too bloody casual I guess?? I hope we can do more of this type of thing in the future... may the common passion we share continue for years.
Kezz
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